The Crystal Pool Single Review

I always wondered if I would have still liked John Frusciante’s solo work if I didn’t know he was from Red Hot Chili Peppers.  Short of a brain injury or amnesia, I’ll never truly know.

I can say that I am certain that I liked The Crystal Pool before the realisation that the Chino Moreno look-alike front man from Heathen Eyes and Jason McIver are the same person.

Jason McIver’s newest single The Crystal Pool, the first since 2007’s In Time, isn’t Heathen Eyes. They’re about as far from each other in style as Maynard James Keenan’s puscifer and the work of that other famous band he’s in (you pick which one I mean).

Where is the material I’ve heard from Heathen Eyes is 90’s tinged rock, Jason McIver’s solo release is upbeat and acoustic with rich layers and bright tones. As hooky as a post Powderfinger Bernard Fanning song and a sound Fanning fans may find familiar.

Unlike puscifer, Fanning and Frusciante, which people either love or hate depending on their level of diehard fandom, Jason McIver’s music won’t have the same polarising effect.  

The Crystal Pool is far too pop-worthy and catchy to hate. As a reviewer, as well as someone that naturally listens to songs on repeat, I can verify that after three hours over and over I can still take this song.

And though Heathen Eyes deserve to be a hell of a lot more famous, people won’t necessarily make the connection with Jason McIver when The Crystal Pool hits mainstream radio, which is where it deserves to be.

You can find Jason McIver’s The Crystal Pool single on his Soundcloud as well as selected works from Heathen Eyes and some of his earlier projects.